Kremlin rejects blame for MH17 downing, says distrusts Dutch findings

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia May 25, 2018. (Mikhail Metzel/TASS/Host Photo Agency/Pool)

MOSCOW — The Kremlin on Friday rejected allegations of any Russian involvement in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, an incident in which 298 people were killed.

The Netherlands said on Friday it held the Russian state responsible and a Dutch cabinet statement said a “possible” next step would be presenting the case to an international court, adding Australia shared its assessment of Russia’s role.

Dutch prosecutors on Thursday identified a Russian military unit as the source of the missile that shot down the plane.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call on Friday that Russia had not been a fully-fledged participant in the Dutch investigation into the incident and could not therefore trust its findings.

When asked if the Kremlin denied allegations of Russian involvement, he said: “Absolutely.”

Peskov referred a question about possible compensation for families of the victims to the Russian Foreign Ministry.